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Thyroid facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. This gland is found in the neck below the mouth (see number 3 in the picture on the right). The thyroid controls how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins, and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.


Endocrine system
Adrenal gland - Corpus luteum - Hypothalamus - Ovaries - Pancreas - Parathyroid gland - Pineal gland - Pituitary gland - Testes - Thyroid gland - Hormone

Images for kids

  • Illu08 thyroid

    The thyroid gland surrounds the cricoid and tracheal cartilages, and consists of two lobes. This image shows a variant thyroid with a pyramidal lobe emerging from the middle of the thyroid.

  • Thyoid-histology

    Section of a thyroid gland under the microscope. 1 follicles, 2 follicular cells, 3 endothelial cells

  • Thespiae 431-424 BC

    The thyroid was named by Thomas Wharton after the ancient Greek shield of a similar pronunciation. Shown is an example, as engraved on an obol dating from 431–424 BCE.

  • Gray42

    Floor of pharynx of embryo between 18 and 21 days

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Glándula tiroides para niños

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Thyroid Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.